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Over the course of the last year, the Northeast Ohio Sustainable Communities Consortium (NEOSCC) engaged residents, elected officials, and experts throughout our 12-county region in a rigorous scenario planning process. Our goal throughout this process has been to work out what choices we can make now that will give our region the greatest chance for success in the future. Two sets of past events drew hundreds of Northeast Ohio residents from all over the region to give their feedback.

The final phase of our project will synthesize a shared vision around our region’s priorities and assets based on that feedback—then provide recommendations on how we might get there.

This upcoming set of events will present to the public its proposed Vibrant NEO 2040 Vision, a strategic and inspirational roadmap for the future of the region that has been built upon everything we have heard and learned to-date. This work will answer the questions, “where do we want to go, and how will we get there?” Each Vision Session will include an interactive presentation with polling, followed by an informal open house and Q&A session.

Information about the first two set of events, which allowed us to build up to the proposed plan, can be found on our website: Phase One Workshop and Open Houses.

Online registration for all workshops is available at the links below. Prior registration is not required, but is encouraged.

In April, the Eastgate Regional Council of Governments (a NEOSCC Board Member) released its 2040 Metropolitan Transportation Plan (MTP).

The MTP is a long range planning document that brings together local governments to identify transportation needs and coordinate transportation projects and policies over the next two decades. Eastgate coordinates the development of the MTP with communities throughout the planning area, and with other local, state and federal agencies. The MTP keeps Mahoning and Trumbull Counties eligible to receive federal transportation funding to improve, maintain, and operate highways, public transit, bikeways, sidewalks, and related facilities. Transportation projects must be included in the MTP to be eligible to receive federal funding within the Eastgate planning area.

VibrantNEO 2040’s scenarios will tell stories about our possible futures, based on where Northeast Ohio is today and the choices we might make about how we use our land and how we invest our resources. Once we create these scenarios, we will be able to compare how successful they are at achieving our common goals for the region, judge which choices would be best for Northeast Ohio’s future, and create a shared vision and framework for the future around those choices.

You are invited to attend an upcoming workshop to share your voice in the conversation. We have selected six city locations throughout the region for your convenience. Pick a date and location that works for you!

Construction has begun at the Iron Roots Urban Farm site. The construction project includes the complete renovation of the 91 year old, 2,693 square foot historic home and the construction of a new 1,200 square foot processing and training facility. The project also includes the installation of walkways, parking, signage, and other critical facility upgrades. The project is being completed by DSV Builders and is expected to be complete by June 1, 2013.

The new facility will be home to several programs to train residents in the skills necessary to become market gardeners and food entrepreneurs or enter the environmental workforce, as the site will give residents hands-on experience at a working urban farm. The farm will also train residents in the preparation of healthy meals and processing of fresh produce. Additionally, the facility will have space for community meetings and other neighborhood revitalization activities. YNDC is also working with the Common Wealth Inc. Kitchen Incubator to provide residents all the necessary training space and equipment needed to launch their new enterprises.

Iron Roots Urban Farm is a fully functioning urban farm that grows produce available for sale at the Northside Farmers’ Market, Poland Farmers’ Market, and is included in shares of the Grow Youngstown CSA program.

Please join the Common Wealth, Inc. on February 28th to learn more about 30 Mile Meal, a new regional food project. Natalie Woodroofe of the Athens County Visitors Bureau and Leslie Schaller of ACEnet will give a short luncheon presentation on the project. They will also unveil the 30 Mile Meal website, introduce additional media platforms, talk about events and discuss overall plans for this year!

At lunch, businesses will be recognized that promote local farmers by using local products. If there is a restaurant, store or other business you would like to nominate, please forward the name, contact information and the local product used.

At this time, there are nine partners committed to this project. If you are interested in becoming a partner and commit to doing so before February 28th, you will be recognized as a Founding Partner in all communications. Please use the contact information below to request a membership form.

For this event, we suggest a donation of $10. If planning to attend, please RSVP by responding to this email.

The 30 Mile Meal is a local food branding and promotional campaign which aims to provide a shared identity for our many farmers, specialty food producers, retail markets, food events, and independently-owned eateries and bars featuring locally-sourced menus. The effort will help spur economic development and create tourist destinations based on regional food fare.

The Mahoning River Corridor People’s Garden Program, funded by a grant to the Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corporation (YNDC) by the United States Department of Agriculture, will provide microgrants for the establishment of gardens to serve as community educational resources to residents of Mahoning River Corridor communities. Groups located within Lowellville, Struthers, Campbell, Youngstown, Girard, McDonald, Niles, Warren and Newton Falls are eligible to apply. All projects must be new garden spaces, and can be vegetable gardens, recreational gardens, or wildlife gardens. Projects will be chosen based on innovative design, community impact, project sustainability, and the project’s potential for community environmental education. Training workshops will be held In the month of February (see dates and locations below). A representative of each group applying for a grant must attend one of these training workshops. In 2012, the program supported the creation of 10 new gardens in Mahoning River Corridor Communities, including community vegetable gardens and native planting gardens. In 2013, the program will support 10-12 new garden spaces.

Grants will assist community groups with the establishment of new gardens, including vegetable gardens, recreational gardens, and wildlife gardens. Grants will be awarded through a competitive process, in which grantees will design their garden project and demonstrate community support and resources for the projects. Projects must be new or beginning their first year of full operation. Projects will be chosen based on innovative design, community impact, project sustainability, and the project’s potential for community environmental education. The program will be focused on neighborhood associations and resident groups, building their capacity to respond to challenges in their own neighborhoods through the creation of gardens on existing vacant land and the establishment, maintenance, and use of community forests as neighborhood assets. All garden projects will receive technical assistance and educational signage.

Back in June, NEOSCC took its board meeting to Mahoning County. As part of our 12 Counties in 12 Months Program, the NEOSCC Board had an opportunity to tour some of Youngstown’s unique assets as well as some of the redevelopment work that is occurring.

Part of the tour was led by Youngstown Neighborhood Development Council (YNDC), a multifaceted neighborhood development organization launched in 2009 in partnership with the City of Youngstown and The Raymond John Wean Foundation to catalyze strategic neighborhood reinvestment in neighborhoods throughout the city. YNDC highlighted some of the neighborhood revitalization work during the tour.

YNDC’s Lots of Green program is a nationally-recognized, vacant land reuse strategy implemented in Youngstown neighborhoods by the YNDC and multiple partner organizations. The program engages residents and volunteers through several programs, including Iron Roots Urban Farm, Market Gardener Training, Community Gardens, Green Jobs Training, Lots of Green 2.0, People’s Garden, and Basic Land Stabilization, in reclaiming all vacant land in strategic neighborhoods, transforming the physical fabric of the neighborhood and increasing neighborhood pride and ownership.

In 2012, the YNDC developed Iron Roots Urban Farm that put 1.7 acres of vacant land back to productive use, created jobs for 7 individuals, operated a second year of the Market Gardener Training Program with 25 participants, and trained 14 young adults through the Green Jobs Training program. The organization continued to oversee 5 community gardens,and created 13 new gardens through the Lots of Green 2.0 and People’s Garden microgrant programs. In total, the YNDC implemented vacant land stabilization projects on 90 new lots (14.4 acres).

The two other counties Ashtabula and Wayne County that are part of the Vibrant NEO 2040 effort are covered through Councils of Governments. This is a topic that will be covered soon in the Vibrant Daily.

As part of their planning process, the MPO’s each reach out to the public and stakeholders to participate and contribute their opinions. This range of participation opportunities includes Civic Involvement Committees, public forums and meetings on different transportation issues and public comment periods on proposed projects and plans. Check out their websites for information on adding your voice to their planning processes.

Here are two opportunities to act on today! The first is for those that fall into the counties within the NOACA MPO. The second is an engagement opportunity through ODOT for anyone is the state.

NOACA

NOACA is currently seeking public feed back on transportation projects in Cuyahoga, Geauga, Lake, Lorain, and Medina Counties.

The following proposed transportation improvements are available for public review and comment. Staff will present these projects for information at the October 19, 2012 meeting of the Transportation Advisory Committee (TAC). The TAC will take action on the projects at their November 16, 2012 meeting. The Governing Board will consider adding them to the region’s long-range transportation plan and Transportation Improvement Program on December 14, 2012.

Each project page contains a comment link for local government representatives, and the general public. The public can comment on any of these projects through Thursday, December 13, 2012.

ODOT is currently seeking input for the Access Ohio 2040, Ohio’s Long-Range Statewide Transportation Plan. This is an opportunity for you to provide input into the Plan.

ODOT is updating Ohio’s Statewide Transportation Plan, Access Ohio 2040. This plan is important to Ohio’s future, as it will set the stage for ODOT’s transportation policies and investment strategies for the coming years. This is an update to the previous plan, Access Ohio 2030, which was released in 2004. ODOT will be finalizing the plan update in the summer of 2013. Access Ohio 2040 will help to ensure that we meet our mission, “to provide easy movement of people and goods from place to place.”

The State is using a technology called MindMixer to gather insight and opinions on transportation issues.

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